1. The Internet: - Socialising - A work tool
Ian Ramsey
C of E School
GCSE ICT
Shared S
ICT
GCSE EDEXCEL Theory
Unit 1
3 internet
Let’s Communicate
The Internet:
- Socialising
- A work tool

2. List of technology I use for communication
Starter:
How do you keep in contact with friends and family? List all the different types of technology that you use. Explain which method you prefer and why.
List of technology I use for communication
Laptop
Mobile phone
Snapchat
Facebook messenger
Instagram
Texts
Calls
FaceTime
The method I prefer is my mobile
Because its portable which means I can communicate with ease when I'm out and call without requiring internet access. The apps I most commonly use is FaceTime as even though it requires Wi-Fi it allows you to live chat with people and see their face which gives sensation of them being in the room with you. I prefer messenger to text messaging as you can use messenger everywhere with 4g but when there is no service you can use neither.

3. Lesson Objectives: By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
understand the different ways of using the Internet for socialising
understand ways of keeping safe on the Internet, particularly when social networking
be able to recommend different methods of communication for different situations.
understand how the Internet can be used as a tool for school and work
understand about copyright law and how it relates to your school work

4. Instant Messaging (IM):
This is a form of real-time communication between 2 or more people that enables them to have a ‘virtual’ conversation. IM involves ‘talking’ to someone in real time by typing and receiving messages.
Advantages
Quick and easy communication in real time
Allows people to work together and discuss their views
The user can see who is online and decide if they want to talk
Can be used on some mobile phones, PDAs and tablets
Disadvantages
You need internet access to use IM
Slow connection makes real time conversation difficult
Overuse of IM could result in less face-to-face contact with people
People may misunderstand information as it lacks emotion (but emoticons are used)
Regular use of text language could affect writing skills
You may prefer to chat than type a message

5. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol):
This is just like making a telephone call, but using a computer. You need a headset or speakers and a microphone, and a webcam if you wish to stream video to the other caller. An example of VoIP is
Advantages
It is free even for international calls
Can incorporate IM and file sharing
You can see who is calling and decide whether to accept the call
You can talk to 2 or more people
Can be used on multiple devices
Disadvantages
A slow internet connection can cause a delay – latency
If the Internet service provider is temporarily unavailable, then calls cannot be made.
Some companies charge a monthly fee

6. Social networking:
Great for communicating with large numbers of people. These websites are designed to bring people together who share interests and allow users to connect with friends, family and colleagues online. They provide a range of ways for users to interact, such as chat, messaging, , video, voice, file-sharing, blogging and discussion groups. Users can also play games and quizzes.
Social networking is very popular with the sites being used by millions of people every day. Some sites allow users to personalise their own space by adding photos, links, and blogs and by adapting the layout to their own individual style.
Blog – short for ‘web log’, A shared online journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies.

7. OR Advantages and disadvantages of social networking sites:
Open this worksheet:
All pupils – ICT – GCSE Edexcel – Theory – Unit 1– Social networking
Drag the statements into the correct columns on the table to show whether each is an advantage or a disadvantage.
Save the worksheet into your Theory – Unit 1 folder. OR

8. Choosing internet communication:
Look at the following scenarios and think about what method of Internet communication would be best for each. Justify your choices.
Scenario
Method of communication *
Reason
Parents on holiday in Australia want to keep in contact with their son at home in the UK
VOIP
They can talk on a personal level and convey emotion on video chats. It is the closest to face to face communication that they can get. Long convocations can be had without excessive texting paragraph lengths. IM
They can all discuss their suggestions instantly in a group pictures and details can be looked over by members of the group who were busy when it was being arranged. Everyone has records of the same details. They can exclude the friend they are arranging the party for.
A young person with a speech impairment wants to keep in contact with friends
Social networking
Most teenagers have social networking so the majority of his friends will be able to stay in touch with him. VOIPs are not a good idea if he cannot speak. He can communicate without social anxiety and pressure of being able to speak and join in with the convocation. He will be included and wont feel excluded.
Members of an art group want to share pictures/information with each other
Instant messaging means you can share the pictures in a group privately in a group chat. Its more effective than video chat as they can look back at information and pictures.
A young woman travelling around the world wants to write to tell people about her experiences
Blog
She can frequently update and write information and accounts on what she has done. These can be accompanied by pictures and many texts.
A group of computer novices want to set up an online computer class
They can give each other suggestions which are better explained as they don’t have to use up time typing. There is misunderstanding and miscommunication involved with messages. They can all learn at the same time and communicate as they do it.
* Choose from: IM, Social networking, VoIP, Blog

9. Staying safe on the Internet:
Use etasks 1.18a and 1.18b to test your knowledge of internet and social networking safety.
Extension task:
Discuss with a partner what you would do in the following situations:
You have been chatting with another boy/girl and you want to meet up.
You are on a social networking site and you see a rude picture.
You see pictures of someone you do not get on with on a social networking site. There is an option for you to write something underneath the picture.
You notice that one of your friends has not protected their website, giving anyone access to see what is on their profile.
Your friend has been chatting to a girl for a while but does not believe she is actually who she says she is.
Your friend uses IM and webcam to talk to other friends. There is one person she chats to who never turns on his webcam, making the excuse that it does not work.

10. Computers as a work tool:
is a popular method of communication. It involves sending messages over a communications network, such as the internet, between computers and other devices
Advantages
Send and receive messages quickly anywhere in the world
Free to send (of course you pay for your internet access)
You can send a message to many people very easily
Save paper
Disadvantages
attachments can contain viruses and malware
You can be bombarded with spam and phishing s
accounts can be hacked into and personal information stolen
Could mean less social contact with people

11. Virtual Learning Environments (VLE):
Schools often use a VLE to help with teaching and learning. There can be many benefits:
Pupils can access homework tasks and submit assignments online.
Teachers can provide feedback on pupil’s work.
It can include links so pupils can look up information in more detail if interested.
It can have notice boards for sharing information.
Log in with your usual username and password.
There is a link to our VLE from the school website.

12. Using the Internet for school work:
The internet can be really useful for school work. You can find answers to questions and use websites to research topics.
There are some particular types of websites that could be useful:
User Generated Websites
These websites are also known as wikis. They allow people to add their own content and edit it The most famous example is Wikipedia.
Advantages
Updated all the time by users making the information current
People can work together from different parts of the world
Changes can be tracked to see who has made contributions
The material is usually copyright free
Disadvantages
Anyone can add information so it could be inaccurate or biased
An internet connection is needed for people to work together
Information can become disorganised and there may be errors or duplication

13. Using the Internet for school work:
User Forums
A user forum allows users to get together for open discussions. There are both general forums and specialist forums. They can be very useful if you have a question you want to past as other users can respond with answers and advice.
News Websites
News websites such as the BBC and Sky News are great sources of information. They allow users to see news as it comes in, using RSS feeds. You can also search the archives for old news that is relevant to what you are studying.
Podcasting
Personal and on Demand Broadcasting (podcasting) allows users to watch or listen to material at a time that suits them. People can create podcasts and upload them to websites, blogs, social networking sites etc. for others to subscribe to and download.

14. Rules for using the Internet:
Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. It can be biased, exaggerated or simply untrue.
Do not research for too long – you don’t want information overload or back problems and eye strain!
Do not copy someone’s work and pretend it is your own
Do not reproduce copyrighted work without the permission of the owner.
Always reference information found on the internet (give the name of the source).

15. Legal or Illegal? Legal Illegal
You copy a music CD bought from a shop and give it to a friend
You copy a music CD bought from a shop and sell it
You buy software intended for 1 computer and put it on to other computers
You download music and do not pay for it
You make your own picture and add it to your work
You copy images from the internet and add them to your work
You copy copyright images and put them into your work, including details of the source
Decide whether each activity is legal or illegal and put a X in the box.